Commander-in-Tweet

On The Daily Show, Donald Trump‘s latest tweetstorm, calling for a ban on transgender people in the military, was the topic of discussion. Although conservatives were interested in removing gender reassignment surgery from the military’s medical budget, a total ban was a bit of a shock. Trevor Noah discussed the issue with two transgender Army veterans — Sgm. Jennifer Marie Long and Joey Whimple.

After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow……

A Tremendous Loss

Long said, “You looking at a reduction of force by nearly 15,000 service members across the board that served in various segments or branches with different skill sets. Some are highly regarded skill sets that are very valuable for the military.”

Career Impact

Aside from the military losing skilled service members, a dishonorable discharge would permanently affect the veterans’ careers. Whimple said, “That discharge code is everything. It’s education benefits; it’s health benefits; it’s the lead into a new job. They can never work in the federal government again with a dishonorable discharge — or anything underneath honorable — so it leaves that uncertainty for them completely.”

The Real Cost

One of the main arguments in Trump’s tweets was cost. However, according to Noah, gender reassignment surgery makes up .001% of the military budget — roughly $8 million a year — an incredibly small amount of money in comparison to, say, Trump’s $60 million budget to live on his own property at Mar-a-Lago.

With Honors

Although some people think trans persons are incapable of doing their jobs, Sgt. Jennifer Marie Long transitioned while serving in Afghanistan and said it didn’t affect her ability to serve her country in the slightest. Long said, “I received the Bronze Star and the French National Defense Medal. I was the first soldier that received that medal from the French since World War II.”